The Story
by Tol Morwen
Summary: When Estel is sick, Legolas volunteers to take care of him. However Estel won't listen to Legolas so he needs to bribe him with a story of the brave ranger, Strider, and the trapped Elf, Lasgalen. [slash]


Disclaimer- Oh c'mon! Stop torturing me!  
  
Pairing- Strider/Lasgalen, implied Erestor/Glorfindel  
  
Notes/Warnings- Estel is about 6 years old in this fanfic. There will also be slash undertones between Erestor and Glorfindel and full slash between Strider and Lasgalen. Plus Lasgalen means 'Green leaf'.  
  
The Story  
  
By Tol Morwen  
  
Legolas walked slowly towards the sick boy's room. In his hands was cradled a cup of healing tea mixed with honey, since he knew Estel hated the slight bitter taste it had. When he opened the door, Legolas almost let the cup crash into the floor. Legolas expected a little, 6 year old boy sleeping in the bed but what he found was a wrinkled bed, empty of said boy.  
  
Quickly, he put the cup of tea on the nightstand, and began to frantically search throughout the room. "Estel," Legolas panicked, "Where are you?" He opened the closet door, and searched through the piles of clothes, hoping to find him buried beneath them. When he reached the bottom, he gave up and looked under the bed. He found a few toys, a wooden sword, and a few books but no Estel. 'Where are you?' Legolas thought. With each minute that passed, he grew worried, not only for Estel's sake but for his!  
  
It was not a little known fact that the House of Elrond coddled the little boy. Often Elladan and Elrohir would take him out riding on nice days and Erestor would read him books with colorful pictures. Elrond would buy interesting toys that challenged his mind and Glorfindel would tell him jokes. In fact, when Legolas first came here two years ago, he was not surprised to see that Estel was so spoiled.  
  
But it was hard for Legolas not to fall for Estel's cute antics. Estel with his huge grin when he was happy and with his large, doleful gray eyes when he was sad. In the end, Legolas gave up and helped coddle him even further. Soon Estel, happy at having a new friend, not a family member, seemed to idolize him and would follow him everywhere.  
  
When Estel began to grow sick, Elladon, Elrohir, and Glorfindel were on their hunting party and Erestor and Elrond were busy with new business dealing from Gondor. Legolas was the only one who was not busy so he volunteered to take care of the boy he had grown fond off. Also he was curious about sickness, since he was an Elf, and Elves never grew ill.  
  
After a few minutes of futile searching, Legolas was about to test his courage and tell Elrond that he failed, when something out of the corner of his eye moved. He whipped his head so quickly that his neck began to throb. Behind the curtains was Estel sitting on the balcony with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. Every few seconds, Estel shivered and clutched the blanket tighter around him.  
  
"Estel!" Legolas shrieked, not feeling like an Elf.  
  
Estel seemed to shiver, not from the cold but from fear. "Uh oh," the little boy moaned out as Legolas began to make his way towards him. Legolas picked him up and plopped him back on the bed. Moments of silence came that was occasionally broken by the loud hacking, coughs that erupted from the sick mortal.  
  
With each painful cough that came, Legolas felt his anger fade away. He moved to fluff the pillow behind Estel, and when he was done, he gently pushed him back. He tucked him in and began to sing a soft Elvish song. When he thought Estel was sound asleep, Legolas moved to leave.  
  
"Legolas!" Estel screamed, worried that he would leave him like his family. 'I'm sick, so they should be here,' Estel thought in his mind. But they were too busy to come and he felt sad.  
  
Legolas sat back down on his bed and felt the boy's forehead just to check. He was warm but not as warm as yesterday. He grabbed the tea and decided that since he wasn't sleeping now, he would give t to him. "Here drink this," Legolas murmured. He moved the teacup to his lips and told him to drink but Estel stubbornly refused. Estel would always jerk his head away when the tea came close until finally he pulled the covers over him.  
  
"Don't want it!" he complained. Legolas grinned and put the teacup down again.  
  
"It'll help you feel better," the Elf said. When the boy didn't make a move, he tried different approach- bribery. "If I tell you a story," Legolas began, "Would you drink it?" Estel pushed the covers away from him and slowly nodded. "Ok then, how about the tale of Glorfindel?"  
  
Estel shook his head and Legolas had to agree. They both heard it often enough from the blonde Elf himself. "How about... the story of Gil-Galad?" Once again, the boy shook his head and soon Legolas was running out of ideas. "Luthien and Beren?"  
  
Estel shook his head. "Too mushy and sad," Estel replied. When Legolas asked him what he wanted to hear, he took a few moments to think before answering, "A ranger." Legolas began to make a mental check if he knew any stories about a ranger, but could find none.  
  
"I don't know any," Legolas whispered in defeat. When Estel's large, doleful gray eyes came, Legolas quickly amended himself. "Wait pen-neth*! I think I do know one!" Estel smiled and Legolas knew that he had done something right with the mortal.  
  
"One day a ranger was riding in the Forbidden Woods when he heard a haunting-" Legolas began when he was cut off.  
  
"What was the ranger's name?"  
  
"Um... it's Strider," the Elf thought up quickly as he winced inwardly. 'Strider?' Legolas scolded himself. 'That's the best you can do?'  
  
"Strider?" Estel asked. When his friend nodded, the little boy said, "I like that name."  
  
Legolas breathed a sigh of relief before continuing with his story...  
  
~*~  
  
One day a ranger name Strider was riding in the Forbidden Woods when he heard a haunting and sad song filled with pain and loneliness. Strider, intrigued by its haunting melody, urged his horse, Hasufel, forward to see what kind of creature could make be so sad. With each step, the song began to grow louder in volume until his horse stopped and he saw a tower, built in a large clearing in the forest. Strider craned his head to try and see the creature and stood still in shock at the sight.  
  
Now Strider, as a ranger, had seen many things, both beautiful and ugly, but this was something that completely surprised him. Before beautiful women and handsome men would throw themselves at his feet only to be rejected but Strider found that he could not reject this Elf who seemed so melancholy.  
  
~*~  
  
"Now the princess Elf-"  
  
"No!" Estel screeched.  
  
Legolas looked at him hard. "What is it pen-neth?"  
  
"I want a prince instead of a princess," Estel said with a childish determination. "It could be like Glorfindel and Erestor." Legolas smiled softly.  
  
"And you shall have what you want."  
  
~*~  
  
The Elf was in the top room of the tower and he was gorgeous in the ranger's eyes. He had bright golden hair which seemed to have been spun from gold. His eyes were full of a deep, bluish color that reminded him of the sky on a clear day and his body was lithe and light. Even from a distance, he knew that this Elf was an archer from the looks of it.  
  
"Hail beautiful one!" Strider yelled. "How can someone like you be stuck here?"  
  
The Elf was startled and soon stopped singing. He looked down trying to find the owner of the voice and when he found it, he smiled. Strider thought that the Elf's smile was gorgeous and he found himself falling in love.  
  
"What is your name?" Strider asked.  
  
~*~  
  
"What is his name?"  
  
Legolas was quiet for a few moments. He hadn't thought of that and he needed a name now or else face another Estel temper tantrum. This time it'll be a level five one. The most anyone's ever face was a level four but Elladon swore he lived through a fiver.  
  
"Almost killed myself because of the noise!" Elladon affirmed. "It was that bad!"  
  
But no one believed him because... well... he was Elladan!  
  
"Is his name Lasgalen?" Estel asked innocently. He blushed a little before continuing, "He seems a little like you, I mean you know..."  
  
Legolas smile. "Yes his name is Lasgalen. Now..."  
  
~*~  
  
The Elf hesitated for a moment before answering softly, "Lasgalen." When he saw that the man before him didn't hear, he yelled out, "Lasgalen! Yet I do not know yours."  
  
"Many call me Strider! I am a ranger who will help free you from your imprisonment!"  
  
Lasgalen began to feel fear. He pushed himself as forward as he could to meet the man who offered him the hope he couldn't feel. "You cannot for He will kill you!"  
  
"Who?" Strider asked perplexed.  
  
"I cannot say his name for He is too dangerous for that," the Elf murmured. "Please just leave and forget about me!"  
  
"No! I can help!" Strider yelled out when suddenly a gust of wind came. The sky darkened and everything grew still. Lasgalen began to panic.  
  
"Leave! He's coming!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Who's coming?" Estel asked innocently.  
  
Legolas smiled. "You'll see."  
  
~*~  
  
"Who?" Strider asked. He began to feel something he hadn't felt before- fear. He wasn't afraid when he faced off that dragon or fell off of the cliff when trying to retrieve the healing jewel. He merely laughed when he fought the evil lord who kidnapped the princess.  
  
"Me," a voice from behind said. Strider turned around and saw something that made him shudder. The man, or being, was cloaked in black and his voice was eyes were laced with pure hatred. Instinctively, Strider reached for his word and took it out. He gripped the handle and brandished it out menacingly.  
  
"Run! It is Sauron" Lasgalen yelled from above.  
  
"Silence Elf!" the being scolded and Strider felt angry. His fear was dissipating and his anger was rising.  
  
"How dare you," the ranger gritted out.  
  
"How dare I what?" Sauron taunted. "Imprison a powerful Elvish prince?" By then, the evil creature had taken out his sword and the two were circling each other. The only thing the prince above could do was watch, stricken with terror.  
  
Moments passed when suddenly Strider made the first move by rushing towards him. Strider brought down his sword and attacked him, but Sauron countered. A fierce battle ensued when suddenly the ranger was cut on his arm.  
  
Strider yelled out in pain as Sauron chuckled. But as he chuckled at the pain of his enemy Strider made his move. With his sword above his head, he rushed forward and beheaded the dark creature. The body fell with a plop as the head continued to roll away from it.  
  
~*~  
  
"Wow!" little Estel shrieked as Legolas could only chuckle softly.  
  
~*~  
  
Strider sheathed his sword when Lasgalen began to yell in joy. "You did it! Try to find an entrance into the tower! Please free me!" With those words out of his mouth, the ranger began to feel through the bricks of the tower. He began knocking and when he heard the hollowness, he began to push. Soon, the bricks gave way and he saw stair.  
  
Strider ran towards Lasgalen's room when he reached a plain wooden door. He took a deep breath and entered. The room was bare save for a bed and a broken mirror but what Strider loved most was the occupant. Far away, Lasgalen was beautiful, but up close, he was perfect. "Thank you," the Elf whispered. "I don't know how to thank you."  
  
"I know," Strider answered. "Marry me."  
  
Lasgalen's eyes darkened and he scowled before answering back bitterly, "You're all the same!"  
  
Strider was taken aback. 'Where was that seemingly perfect creature?' he thought in his head.  
  
"First it was Sauron now you!" Lasgalen gnashed out. "My beauty is a curse not a gift!" Lasgalen looked at the mirror and Strider knew that it was the Elf who broke it.  
  
"No! No!" Strider yelled out. "Let me explain." When he saw that he had Lasgalen's approval he continued. "I have never been in love before-" Here Lasgalen snorted unelvishly, but the ranger took no heed. "But I am willing to wait. For you." And Lasgalen's hardened heart softened a little.  
  
Two years later after Strider had taken the Elf back to his home, he asked again. This time, Lasgalen said yes.  
  
~*~  
  
"I hate mushy endings," Estel complained.  
  
Legolas smiled before countering. "Yes, but I told you your story so now you must drink your tea!" He reached to grab it but found that the drink had gone cold. He made a face as Estel giggled at winning once again. "Stay here while I get some more!" Legolas commanded.  
  
Before he stood up, he kissed the mortal boy he was so fond of on his forehead. "I like the name Strider," Estel murmured. "I also think that I want to be a ranger now."  
  
"You would be a good ranger," Legolas encouraged before he left the room and Estel, who was thinking about becoming a ranger and finding his own Elf to fall in love with.  
  
*Pen-neth- Elvish for Little One  
  
**Yeah I know. Too fluffy.  
  
***Give you a cookie if you guess what fairy tale the "story" was based on. Course with my own touch in it! 


End file.
